Florida Department of Corrections Banner, Secretary Mark S. Inch

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2020

Contact: FDC Communications
(850) 488-0420
 

FDC Resumes Inmate Intakes, Establishes Protocols to Protect Population
As inmates are received from county facilities, reception centers screen and quarantine new commitments

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —  The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) resumed intake of new commitments from Florida counties effective Monday, March 30, 2020. Closely aligned with the CDC Interim Guidance on Management of COVID-19 in Correctional and Detention Facilities, FDC is asking county jails to quarantine inmates scheduled to be transferred to prison for the 14 days prior to transfer, when possible.

“This two-week pause in new intakes gave us the time we needed to establish robust precautions against introducing COVID-19 into the inmate population,” said FDC Secretary Mark Inch. “We appreciate Florida’s law enforcement community working with us as we took this preventative measure and move forward with a new protocol during this evolving health emergency.”

New intakes will be placed on a 14-day quarantine limiting movement and interaction with the general inmate population except in emergencies. Inmates will be socially distanced as much as possible within their housing units. All meals will be served to the inmates within their housing unit. Medical staff will monitor the inmates twice daily to ensure no inmates show symptoms of illness. At the conclusion of the 14-day quarantine, the inmates will be moved to the general population and the entire dormitory will be sanitized.  

For more information related to FDC’s response to COVID-19, visit the FDC Newsroom at www.FDC.MyFlorida.com.

Click here for latest Coronavirus updates

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As Florida's largest state agency, and the third largest state prison system in the country, FDC employs 24,000 members, incarcerates 80,000 inmates and supervises nearly 146,000 offenders in the community.

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